Numerous public artworks will be produced for the ARToulu area area as part of Oulu European Capital of Culture 2026!
The artists selected through the first open call are Anna Tahkola, Antti Tolvi, Dominik Fleischmann, Kaija Hinkula, Kimmo Ylönen, Pia Hentunen, Riikka Keränen, Sini Talonen and an artist group formed by Aimo Aukio, Tero Harju, Tuuli Malla and Erja Taskinen.

Around a hundred proposals were submitted through the first open call. The artists were selected by Satu Oksanen, curator and collections manager at Museum of Contemporary Art Kiasma, curator and artist Anna Ruth and media artist and public art specialist Leevi Lehtinen. From the submitted proposals the curators chose nine works for production.

In the selection process the curators payed attention to the relationship between the artwork and their surroundings. The chosen artworks do not burden the environment but rather they have a respectful attitude towards diverse life forms found in nature. The selected artworks show the richness of techniques and and forms found in the visual arts. Some works appropriate a large space in the urban environment, others blend in their surroundings. The chosen artists come from different parts of Finland and local artists are also among the selected.

One of the main ideas behind the ARToulu art area is to bring a diverse array of art to the shared public space. Some of the arworks are events or have a more ephemeral quality while others are installed in place more permanently. All of the selected artworks have a unique way of settling in the urban landscape. In their process artists merge elements deriving from consturcted environment and from nature, and make use of the city’s existing infrastructure in an insightful way. The artworks can be found in densly populated neighborhoods as well as in parks and nature trails around the area.

ARToulu art area is a public art project produced by the Oulu Artists’ Association and is part of the official program of the Oulu European Capital of Culture 2026. The project is financed by The Oulu Cultural Foundation, The Ministry of Education and Culture, Finland and the Oulu Artists’ Association. The art area consists of seven neighborhoods along the Oulujoki estuary that are Pikisaari, Hietasaari, Toppilansaari, Toppilansalmi, Meri-Toppila, Tuira and the City Center. There will be tens of artworks situated in different neighborhoods that form an easily tourable route. Some works will be placed in the art collection of the city of Oulu.